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Hill of Squandered Valour – Ron Lock
Hill of Squandered Valour – Ron Lock Hill of Squandered Valour – Ron Lock

Hill of Squandered Valour – Ron Lock

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Hill of Squandered Valour – Ron Lock

Hill of Squandered Valour: The Battle of Spion Kop, 1900 (Association Inscribed & Signed Copy)
An Author-Autographed Masterpiece of Anglo-Boer War Historiography with Noted Heritage Provenance

Bibliographic Specifications

  • Title: Hill of Squandered Valour: The Battle of Spion Kop, 1900
  • Author: Ron Lock
  • Publisher: Casemate Publishers, Philadelphia / Oxford
  • Publication Date: 2011 (First Edition)
  • ISBN-13: 9781612000183
  • Edition Details: First Edition, Premium Hardcover Release. Authentically inscribed and autographed by the author on the title page. Note: The blank preliminary/half-title page has been very neatly removed, bypassing standard text blocks.
  • Binding: Original publisher's premium full cloth boards, issued with a high-gloss pictorial dust jacket.
  • Physical Format: Octavo (8vo), beautifully illustrated with tactical troop movement maps, structural landscape profiles, and archival portrait inserts.
  • Language: English

Official Condition Report

  • The Book: Very Good (VG)
    • Exterior / Boards: The cloth boards are razor-sharp, square, and completely pristine. No shelf-bumping or edge fading.
    • Interior: The text block is crisp, tightly bound, and white. Important Condition Note: The very first blank page (the half-title or fly-leaf page) has been very neatly and professionally removed. This does not touch or impact the title page, text, maps, or bibliographic data.
    • Provenance / Autograph: Features a beautiful, crisp hand-inked dedication by the author on the primary title page: “For Lee Jacobs, with best wishes, Ron Lock”. Lee Jacobs is an acclaimed, highly respected South African battlefield researcher, tour guide, and historian based in Ladysmith, making this a highly desirable association copy within the KwaZulu-Natal military history fraternity.
  • The Dust Jacket: Very Good Plus (VG+)
    • Condition Details: The original pictorial jacket is flawless, exceptionally bright, and now completely protected under a clear, archival plastic sleeve. Free of fading, fraying, or tears.

Synopsis & Historical Value

Published by Casemate in 2011, Hill of Squandered Valour is a definitive, critically acclaimed reassessment of the Battle of Spion Kop, fought in January 1900. Author Ron Lock delivers a devastating analysis of the tactical incompetence, fractured communication lines, and operational failures that led to a British slaughter on the rocky summit. Using unedited diaries, official logs, and letters from both British soldiers and Boer commandos, Lock reconstructs the terrifying, close-quarters combat on the hill. This specific copy is highly enhanced by its direct association inscription to Lee Jacobs, a central figure in modern Spion Kop field research.

Author Profile: Ron Lock

Ron Lock is an esteemed military historian, veteran battlefield guide, and author who spent decades living and researching in South Africa. He is widely recognized as a premier global authority on the Anglo-Zulu and Anglo-Boer Wars, praised for his deep field knowledge and structural analysis of battle terrains.